Commission: Pam Grier Catwoman 1970s

"70’s Pam Grier as Catwoman in the same size / format as your [Walking Dead 101 Ghost Variant original art]" That was the description for this commission.

I love Pam Grier. "70's" setting made me think of her films like Coffy, Foxy Brown, and Friday Foster (based on a comic).

The size of the original Walking Dead Ghost Variant art was approximately 18 x 24 inches - a lot of space to work with. When I look at that original, the things I see stylistically are lettering and high-contrast black-and-white.

To capture that period, I turned to the exploitation trailers of 42nd Street in the 70s - a dark, gritty, stylized setting and What It Is...What It Was!, a book that collects posters and art from "the black film explosion of the 70s".

These are sources I referenced in Afrodisiac.

I started with a detailed pencil sketch because the composition I had in mind was fairly complex and

ink is unforgiving. Cat mask, long fingernails, whip, 70s era jumpsuit, neon letters and signs...this sketch was done on comic book backing board. So it is 7 x 10.5 inches.

After this sketch, I moved to the final board - 18 x 24 inch, Strathmore 400 Series, Bristol smooth. The final image was inked with a Raphael 8404 size 4 brush and a Rapidograph 2 (.60).